The Adam Park Project

Item Information:

Catalogue Number: 20/01/012 Source: TAPP Archaeology Surveys Location: No.20 Adam Park Report No: Report No.1 Artifact Type: Ammunition Production Date: 2009-11-16 00:00:00 Dimensions of Item: 60mm x 60mm Copyright with The Adam Park Project

Other Description:

The artefact was encased in mud but three rounds of ammunition were clearly visible. The central round of the three left in the clip was the most complete although the bullet appeared to be set at an angle to the shoulder of the casing. The right hand casing was missing the bullet and appeared to be cleanly sheared away at the collar. The left hand cartridge had been truncated about a third of the way up the body revealing the strands of cordite. Despite the dirt encrusted around the base of the clip it was clear from the cordite2 and size of the cartridges that the rounds were .303 and for a Lee Enfield rifle.

Historic Context:

British troops would load five rounds at a time into the Lee Enfield Rifle by means of a charger - a strip of metal which would feed the rounds into the magazine before being discarded. The fact that the rounds were still mounted on the charger infers they were dropped before being loaded into a weapon.